Passengers have told of their holiday horror after being left with broken bones and seeing people being revived when 30ft waves smashed into the side of their Saga cruise ship.
The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and returned to Portsmouth on Saturday after tourists feared for their lives during the storm in the Bay of Biscay.
According to Saga, around 100 of the 1,000 people on board were injured, most of them injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing the ship to tilt dramatically and come to a shaking stop.
But passengers who saw the carnage with their own eyes warn that the number of injured could be closer to 150.
Witnesses claim one person was airlifted from the ship – while eight ambulances waited in Portsmouth harbor for the ship to dock and four people were taken to hospital.
The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and returned to Portsmouth on Saturday as holidaymakers feared for their lives amid terrible storms in the Bay of Biscay
According to Saga, most of those injured were injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing the ship to dramatically overturn and shudder to a stop
About 100 of the 1,000 people on board were injured, but those on board who saw the carnage with their own eyes warn the number of injured could be closer to 150
As the cruise ship was relentlessly bombarded for 18 hours, some desperate passengers wrote notes to their loved ones in case they didn’t make it home – while other traumatized travelers wore life jackets for two days.
An eyewitness to the horror, 58, told of the horrific scenes on board as she survived the carnage with her husband and parents.
“You could hear the crashing of the plates and then there was an announcement from the captain shouting over the tannoy system as the ship turned away. “The panic in his voice made everyone else panic,” she told The News.
“The paramedics were overrun. My mother saw someone being resuscitated, there were broken bones, people on stretchers and people crying, including the crew frantically running around trying to help everyone. It was terrifying.
“People slept with life jackets on and wrote messages home to their loved ones in case we didn’t come back. ‘We’re lucky to be alive.’
The ship was at the mercy of the massive waves for 18 hours, with passengers claiming the waves were up to 54 feet high – higher than three double-decker buses.
And other passengers reported chaos aboard the ship as the crew tried to wait out the storm.
“We couldn’t believe how high we were thrown when the 54-foot waves hit us. “People were lifted off the ground,” said Peter Sawyerl, 76, from Christchurch.
Witnesses claim one person was airlifted from the ship while eight ambulances waited in Portsmouth harbor for the ship to dock and four people were taken to hospital. Pictured: The Spirit of Discovery from Saga Cruises in the harbor
As the cruise ship was relentlessly bombarded for 18 hours, some desperate passengers wrote notes to their loved ones in case they didn’t make it home – while other traumatized travelers wore life jackets for two days
The ship was at the mercy of the massive waves for 18 hours, with passengers claiming the waves were up to 54 feet high – higher than three double-decker buses
According to Saga, most of those on board were injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing the ship to rock dramatically and come to a shaking stop.
The cruise company’s boss has admitted the experience was “extremely frightening” for passengers – as he insists they “stayed safe” on board.
In a letter to customers, Nigel Blanks said that due to the “disappointing end to your cruise” they would be publishing details of compensation in the next few days.
The horrific ordeal forced part of the dining room to be converted into a “makeshift medical area” and passengers were ordered to remain in their cabins for the remainder of Saturday and all of Sunday.
Passengers described people being “flung” by the force of the emergency stop and images showed books, tables and other furniture being thrown to the ground as the violent storm hit the ship.
Passenger Richard Reynolds told Web that people on board screamed for their lives as 30ft waves smashed into the windows. He described the crossing as one of the most traumatic things he had ever experienced.
The 60-year-old was on the ship with his wife and elderly parents.
His mother, 84, was injured when the ship rocked and was thrown to the ground while he and others were locked in their cabins, where passengers wrote final messages to family members on their phones and wore life jackets continuously for two days in the event that the ship capsized.
According to Saga, most of those on board were injured when the ship’s safety system activated, causing the ship to rock dramatically and come to a shaking stop
The cruise company’s boss has admitted the experience was “extremely frightening” for passengers – as he insists they “stayed safe” on board. Pictured: Spirit of Discovery in Portsmouth Harbour
Richard and his family spent £19,000 on the cruise and he is considering legal action against Saga.
He told Web: “We haven’t seen the captain since this incident – normally they would be saying goodbye to his passengers.”
“All we have received is a letter from CEO Nigel Blanks apologizing, which was normal company drivel, and saying they will get back to you in a week about compensation.”
He added: “The whole experience was terrible.” Waves hit the fifth floor windows, people screamed and furniture, plates and glass flew in all directions.
“I am a former military and firefighter and have had many traumatic experiences in my career, but this is among the worst of them.”
“People were screaming for their lives, things were banging and crashing around us and they thought they were going to die.”
“We were locked in our cabins for two days, lying in bed fully clothed and wearing life jackets.
“I know other passengers wrote notes to their loved ones on their cell phones because they thought they wouldn’t get out.”
The horrific ordeal forced part of the dining room to be converted into a “makeshift medical area” and passengers were ordered to remain in their cabins for the remainder of Saturday and all of Sunday
Passenger Richard Reynolds told Web that people on board screamed for their lives as 30ft waves smashed into the windows. He described the crossing as one of the most traumatic things he had ever experienced
The ship’s automatic safety system activated, causing the ship’s engines to start and sending the ship into a tight turn, reportedly causing injuries, but Mr Reynolds says many passengers had already been injured before this happened
“We were there looking after my elderly parents, my mother was in the infirmary because she had a fall.” They were so crowded that they had to convert the main dining room into a makeshift first aid area because it was completely overcrowded.
“She witnessed someone being resuscitated by three staff members and they say only minor injuries were sustained?”
The ship’s automatic safety system activated, causing the ship’s engines to start and sending the ship into a tight turn, reportedly causing injuries, but Mr Reynolds says many passengers had already been injured before this happened.
He also said he believed the actual number of injured was closer to 150 than 100.
He added: “There were 980 passengers on board and we heard that over 150 people were injured, which is 15% of the passengers when the average age was 76 years.”
“People had broken hips, my mother fell and luckily she was fine, but she was kept in the infirmary where someone had to be resuscitated in front of her.” These were not minor injuries.
“It is completely unacceptable to subject passengers to these extreme conditions and then gloss over what happened.”
The five other seriously injured passengers were treated at the ship’s medical center and taken to hospital as a precautionary measure last night after the ship finally arrived in Portsmouth harbor.
The company claims that the vessel is adequately prepared for the demanding conditions expected
Responding to questions about the decision to return to the UK via the Bay of Biscay, Saga said continuing with the original tour or choosing an alternative route would have meant facing the storm head-on.
The crew had originally planned to dock at the port of La Coruna in northwestern Spain, but were informed en route that the port was closed due to bad weather, forcing them to continue north and transit the Bay of Biscay en route to Britain .
The company claims that the vessel is adequately prepared for the demanding conditions expected.
But Mr Reynolds claims that Saga’s priority was to get the ship ready for the next cruise.
He said: “The bottom line is we shouldn’t have been there, we were the only cruise ship that didn’t seek shelter.”
“We were told three days before the storm that we would try to get ahead of the storm. All they cared about was getting back on time for the next cruise.
“For them, recovering the boat took priority over safety.” I tracked this storm on my phone two days before we got there. They thought they could get ahead of it, but we were caught in the storm with 14 meter waves and 70 mph winds.
Jan Bendall, 75, who was traveling with her husband, said the ship remained stationary for 15 hours and was “caught in the middle of the storm” during that time.
Jan Bendall, 75, (pictured) said the ship then remained stationary for 15 hours and was “caught in the middle of the storm” during this time.
She said: “We were lucky – we’re doing quite well, but I think some of the older people and the people in their own huts were quite worried.”
Despite the ordeal, she said the staff were “absolutely fantastic”, the crew and captain provided regular updates and continually reassured passengers that “the ship was safe”.
She and her husband disembarked at around 0900 GMT on Tuesday and reported seeing workers replacing glass doors, windows and partitions that had been broken by the storm.
Other passengers told the BBC that the captain of the stricken ship sounded “physically frightened” as he spoke to them, while crew members cried and others “feared for their lives.”
A statement from Saga Cruises said: “Spirit of Discovery was unfortunately affected by challenging weather conditions this weekend as she made her return to the UK.”
“The ship remained safe at all times, but some guests were injured due to the effects of the storm.” All were immediately treated by medical staff on board.
“Although the weather is clearly beyond our control, we would like to sincerely apologize to all those affected who are now safely on their way home to calmer seas.”
The company added that damage to the ship’s equipment was “very limited.”